Wayne Brady Received ‘DM Love’ — and Inappropriate Photos — After Coming Out as Pansexual (Exclusive)

The performer explains to PEOPLE how “flattering” it has been to receive messages from suitors, but says he'd rather get a song or a poem over a naked photo

Wayne Brady has had more than his fair of suitors come knocking since he came out as pansexual in August 2023.

The entertainer, 52, says that people have been sliding into his DMs expressing interest, which he calls extremely “flattering.”

“I've had the DM love, which is great, because by nature of saying that you're pan, I've gotten love from everybody,” he tells PEOPLE exclusively in this week’s issue, adding, “Gotten a lot of guy love, girl love and everybody in between. It's flattering more than anything in the world. … You think I'm cute? Great, thanks.”

All that interest, however, has also meant that some people have taken it upon themselves to send explicit photos in the hopes of getting Brady’s attention.

Related: Wayne Brady Announces All-New Reality Series About His Blended Family: 'You've Never Seen a Family Like Ours'

He reveals how it usually goes down. “I’ll get on Instagram. Oh, look at that little cat. Two cats fighting each other and look at that dog eating at a table, because he thinks he's human. There's a penis. Look at that. What the… Why? … Because the shock! I'm like, 'How dare you?'"

“Come on, guys, let's say that you're going for a job interview. You sit down. This is my resume. I speak three languages. I've worked at three different firms, and I can be an asset to your company. There's my penis. No, that doesn't help you get the job," he says. "Maybe that works on other people. That doesn't work on me. So please don't send them. Don't send them. I'd rather that you record a song.”

Better yet? "Write a poem to me or something," Brady says.

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His ex-wife and best friend Mandie Taketa, 48, offers a piece of advice to those emboldened senders. “Just know if you send it to Wayne, he's going to share it,” she says, adding, “I'm like, ‘Forward it, screenshot it, send it to me! I want to see.’”

Brady’s coming out journey is documented in his new reality show Wayne Brady: The Family Remix, which debuts on July 24 on Freeform, offering a glimpse at the mixed feelings the performer felt and the conversations he had with family and friends. Since PEOPLE exclusively revealed the news in August 2023, he’s received support and encouragement.

Related: Wayne Brady's Reality Show Explores 'New Chapter' with His Blended Family — Watch the Trailer! (Exclusive)

“For me, the change was a little turn and a click and then I could breathe a little easier and walk a little lighter,” he says. “It was, ‘Oh, now that I've said this out loud, you can't get me because I don't have to hide.’ … And maybe bigger changes will happen, but for right now, this change is great, because I think I have a different light, and I think that light is going to affect me as a parent, as a man, as a friend, as an actor. I think I'm just carrying myself a little differently.”

At this point in his life, Brady knows pretty well what he isn’t looking for in a potential partner. For one, they must be able to embrace his blended family, which include Taketa, their daughter Maile Brady, 21, Taketa’s partner Jason Fordham, 40 and Sundance, the 2-year-old son of Taketa and Fordham.

“It's very easy,” he says. “After they watch a show, you know what you're getting into. … In the past when I've dated, the thing that has come up is someone goes, ‘Hey, so I'm trying to get in on this game of Double Dutch, and so I can't be your business partner. I can't be your best friend, because Mandie's your best friend and you already have a daughter."

“I say, ‘hey, look, you can get in where you fit in, but just know that this exists,” Brady continues. “So if you're not willing to [fit in], then I don't want to waste your time.”

Related: Wayne Brady Says Coming Out as Pansexual Was 'About Me Being Happy,' Wishes He Did it 'Earlier' (Exclusive)

That said, he’s looking for someone who’s willing to be a “big kid” with him — playing video games is a hobby of Brady's — and engage in “great intellectual conversation.”

Maile, for her part, hopes her father finds a great match.

“Now that he's come out as pan, the amount of fish in the sea has doubled or even tripled in size now,” she says. “So I just hope he finds someone that is kind, not annoying, soothing voice, smart, talented... has their own place, likes my mom — because I don't play about my mom — and is generally fine to be around. That's all. Which I feel like is not asking for too much.”

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She teases they also need to “watch him play video games.”

Wayne interjects: “They have to be willing to play, not watch me.”

Wayne Brady: The Family Remix premieres on July 24 at 10 p.m. ET on Freeform and the next day on Hulu.

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